Buffer casting



H. R. BARTELL Aug. 10 1926.

BUFFER CASTI NG Filed Oct. 13

[12 van i'or l/flmy If Bil/WELL Patented Aug 10, i926- ornrao MATES PATENT cl rical HAQREY BfiBTELL, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOE TO COMMONWEALTH STEEL GClMEAl-TY Oi? ST. LGJIEL DEZSSGURI, A CORPQRATIQN'GF NEW BUFFER CASTING,

My invention relates to railroad rolling stock and consists in an improved construction of that portion of a car underframe which is adjacent to the coupler. j

5 In the preferred construction of my in vention. 1 form the striking plate, carr iron support, bufier stem housing, and forward draft lugs integrally the object of which is to provide a construction of these parts 1 adapting them to be applied as a unit to the car underframe thereby eliminating the work and additional parts required for a built-up structure. Such construction will occupy less space than the usual construcl tion in which the parts mentioned are assembled with. each other or separately secured to other parts of the car underframe by a far greater number of bolts and rivets. Greater clearances may be obtained and a stronger structure provided and the weight and strength of the unit may be increased over the usual. built-up construction as desired without requiring changes in the underframe members to which the casting is applied.

A. further object of my invention is to provide means for maintaining the distance between the centerline ofithe coupler, sup ported indirectly by the bufi'er casting, and

the center line of the buffer stem, carried by the castin without requiring the casting to be replaced.

"My invention is especially adapted for passenger equipment and in'the accompanying drawings I illustrate its application to the underframe of a passenger car.

In these drawings- Figure 1 is a top View ofmy bull-er casting with various associated parts shown assembled therewith Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section through the same elements as shown in F i 'ure 1. i L5 l igure 3 is a front view of the same elements.

The buffer casting comprises side walls 1 and 2 adapted to engage the inner faces of the draft sills A of the car nnderframe and united'at their tops by a horizontal web 3 which may be recessed at 4 to lighten the casting and to permit access to the buffer stem housing formed above the same. The forward end of walls 1 and web 3 terminate in a striking block 5 and so ports 6 for a carry iron B, the block 5 being reinforced when the latter is moved to its extreme rear by a flange 7 and web 8. The rear ends of walls 1 terminate in draft lug stops 9 braced by suitable webs 10. The side walls may be slotted at 11 to accommodate the key, not shown, of a draft yoke such as is in common use.

A bufier stem housing extends upwardly from web 3 and includes a lower wall 12, a buffer plate 13, and a rear wall 14- which is braced by suitable webs 15. The upper portion of this housing is substantially open although a top wall 16 extends a short distance rearwardly from buffer plate 13. Butler plate 13 and rear wall 14 are provided with openings 17 for buffer stems C and suitable flanges 18 and 19 surround these openings to reinforce the walls. Renewable wear plates D are provided in the openings in buffer plate 13 for the support of stems C.

It will be noted that the numbered parts above referred to are all formed integrall in a one-piece casting, preferably of stee, thereby affording maximum strength for the weight of metal utilized and eliminating the necessity of punching or drilling a large number of holes in the different parts and in the car draft and end sills for the purpose of attaching separate buffer stem housmg, striking plate, carry iron supports, draft lugs, etc. The parts referred to form a unitary construction which may be easily applied or removed if necessary and is retained by comparatively few connections to the car framing.

The central portion of wall 12 is recessed toaccommodate the horn E of the coupler and wall 16 is depressed in its forward portion to accommodate the buffer plate F position. The casting is provided with holes adjacent the carry iron support 6 to receive the carry iron retaining bolt G.

The inwardly extending portions of carry iron supports 6 terminate at 20 to accommodate the downward projection on carry iron B. The upper face of carry iron B is straight from end to end and vthe distance from this'face to'the surfaces which rest on the casting support lugs is less than the distance to the opposite face of the center of the carry iron. This construction enables the carry iron to be reversed to provide different heights of the coupler shank supporting face to enable the center line of the coupler to be maintained atthe required distance from the rail and from the center line of the buffing stems.

This latter distance may be kept constant also by changing. the wear plates D for thicker or thinner plates as may be required. During normal operation of the car both the carry iron and'wear plates will be subject to wear due to the friction of the coupler shank and buffer stems respectively and the above described construction makes it easy to take care of this wear without removal of or other work on the bulier casting as a whole.

Various modifications in the details of my construction may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention as expressed. in the appended claims.

Iclaim:

1. A railway ear member comprising a buffer stem and spring housing, a coupler striking plate, carry iron supports, and a pair of transversely spaced front draft lugs, all formed integrally and applicable as a unit to the car draft sills.

2. A railway car member comprising a buffer stem and spring housing, a coupler striking plate. carry-iron support elements. and a pair of front draft lugs all formed integrally and terminating at the sides of said housing and applicable as a unit to the draft and end sills of a car.

3. A railway car underframe member adapted to be applied to or removed from car draft sills as a unit and comprising spaced vertical walls adapted to be secured to the car draft sills and having forward draft lugs integrally formed on the rear portions of said walls,

a striking plate and coupler carry iron supports integrally formed on the front portion of said walls,

and an integrally formed upward extension forming a builer plate and butter stem housing extending above and forwardly from the draft sills.

at. In a railway car device, a casting comprising a striking plate, a box-shaped portion above said plate for housing a butler stem and spring, rearward projections beneath said housing portion for attaching the device to car draft sills and terminating in draft lugs, vertical webs connecting said housing portion and said projections adjacent to'said lugs. and vertical webs connecting said striking plate and said housing portion. v a

5. In a railway car. draft sills, a butler casting including a butler stein housing, the rear lower portion of which extends over and is secured to the top of said draft sills, integral walls extending downwardly from said portion inside of and'secured to sides of said draft sills. and integral inward pro- 'jections on said downwardly extending walls forming complete draft lugs.

6. In a railway car device, a casting comprising a box-shaped upper portion forming a housing for butler stems and springs and adapted to overlie the draft sills of a car, a rearwardly extending horizontal flange on said housing similarly adapted. walls depending from said housing and flange and terminating at opposite ends in a coupler striking plate and front draft lug, respectively, and webs bracing said flange and plate from said housing.

7. In a railway car casting, a butler housing having ,a rear wall forming a butter spring seat, vertical flanges depending from said housing and terminating in front draft lugs spaced below and rearwardly of said wall, a horizontal flange connecting said -vertical flanges and extending rearwardly of said wall, and vertical webs extending diagonally downward from said wall to the rear of said horizontal flange.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aliix my signature this 2nd day of October, 1923.

H. R. BARTELL. 

